There’s a corner booth in a diner on South Main Street where a teenager used to watch the mirror behind the counter, waiting to see if fans had spotted him. That teenager was Elvis Presley, and the diner is The Arcade — Memphis’s oldest restaurant, still slinging sweet potato pancakes from the same building it’s occupied since the 1920s.
The Arcade Memphis Restaurant is oldest cafe, founded in 1919 by Greek immigrant Speros Zepatos. Located at the corner of South Main Street and G.E. Patterson, it’s still run by the Zepatos family four generations later. It’s famous for the “Elvis booth,” sweet potato pancakes, and a Greek Revival building that’s shown up in half a dozen Hollywood films.
What Is The Arcade Memphis?
The Arcade Restaurant was founded by Speros Zapatos in 1919, a Greek immigrant from Cephalonia, Greece, who started small. The original building was a humble one-story wood structure where food was cooked on a potbelly stove.
Business grew fast enough that by the mid-1920s, the wooden building wasn’t cutting it. In 1925, Zepatos tore the original structure down and built a Greek Revival building in its place, adding storefronts on either side that he leased out — which is where the “Arcade” name comes from. That building is the one you’ll walk into today.
The diner passed down through the family from there. Harry Zepatos took over from his father in the 1950s and gave the place its facelift, turning it into the retro diner look it still has today — the era that produced the boomerang-pattern tabletops and neon signage regulars still point out. As of 2026, the restaurant is celebrating 107 years in business, run by the fourth generation of the Zepatos family.
One thing worth knowing before you go: the neighborhood almost didn’t survive. Downtown Memphis went through a rough stretch in the mid-to-late 20th century, and the rebirth of downtown Memphis didn’t really begin until the late 1980s — and The Arcade survived the whole thing, operating the entire time a few blocks from a train depot that’s been running since 1855. That’s part of why locals treat a visit here less like grabbing breakfast and more like touching a piece of the city’s history.
Quick Takeaway: The Arcade isn’t a themed retro diner built to look old — it actually is old. Same family, same corner, same building since 1925.
The Elvis Presley Connection
Ask any Memphian why The Arcade matters and Elvis comes up within the first sentence. In the 1950s, a young Elvis Presley — who was just starting his music career at Sun Records a few minutes away — became a regular. He didn’t sit just anywhere.
Elvis always took the same booth, keeping an eye on the mirrored wall behind the counter so he’d notice if fans started to gather — and if they did, he’d slip out through the side door before things got out of hand. That booth is still there. It now holds a framed photo of Elvis and is one of the most requested seats in the restaurant, with diners waiting for a chance to sit where he sat.
What did he actually order? By most accounts, his go-to was the peanut butter and banana sandwich — a menu item the restaurant still serves and still names after him. It’s a small thing, but it’s the kind of detail that turns a diner visit into a story you tell later.
What to Order at The Arcade
The menu splits cleanly into breakfast and lunch, and the restaurant leans hard into Southern comfort food with a few Greek touches from its founding family.
Breakfast (the reason most people show up):
- Sweet potato pancakes — the single most-mentioned dish across reviews and easily the house specialty
- Breakfast Sampler — two eggs any style, one bacon, one sausage, hash browns or grits, one sweet potato pancake, one regular pancake, and a piece of French toast
- Redneck Breakfast — a hearty, no-frills plate regulars swear by
- Classic egg platters and made-to-order omelets
- Biscuits and gravy, country-fried steak
Lunch:
- Pizza — an unexpected strength here; the Downtowner, topped with feta cheese, artichoke hearts, and olives, gets called out repeatedly as a standout
- Sandwiches, including the Elvis-favorite peanut butter and banana, plus a smoked-turkey-and-Brie club and a fried catfish sandwich
- The Arcade cheeseburger with bacon — a Travel Channel favorite
- Daily meat-and-three specials, salads, and soups
If you’re vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free, you’re not stuck: the restaurant offers vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options on request, which is more flexibility than you’d expect from a 1919-era diner.
Quick Takeaway: Come hungry and split the Breakfast Sampler if you want to sample the sweet potato pancakes without committing to a full stack.
Hours, Location, and Parking
The Arcade sits at 540 South Main Street, Memphis, TN 38103, right in the South Main Arts District, on the Main Street Trolley line.
Hours run longer than most people expect:
| Service | Hours |
|---|---|
| Breakfast & Lunch (daily) | 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. |
| Brunch (Sat & Sun) | 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. |
| Evenings (Thu–Sat) | 3:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. |
That evening window is a gap most guides skip entirely — The Arcade isn’t purely a breakfast-and-lunch spot on Thursday through Saturday nights. It’s worth calling ahead, since evening service can vary seasonally.
For getting there: it’s seated on the trolley line if you’re staying downtown without a car, and there’s a private parking lot available in the Arcade Building itself if you’re driving, which is genuinely useful given how tight South Main Street parking gets on weekends. Reservations aren’t required for regular meals but are worth calling in for larger groups; the restaurant takes reservation calls at (901) 526-5757.
Hollywood Loves The Arcade Too
The film credits here are longer than most local diners get. Scenes from Mystery Train, Great Balls of Fire, The Client, The Firm, 21 Grams, Elizabethtown, Walk the Line, and My Blueberry Nights have all been filmed inside The Arcade, and a second historical marker from the Memphis Film Commission, titled “Modern Movie Making in Memphis,” sits on the sidewalk outside to mark it. National outlets including Southern Living, Esquire, Travel magazine, and Sports Illustrated have featured the restaurant, and both Food Network and Travel Channel have run segments on its Southern breakfast.
It’s a detail most first-time visitors don’t know going in, and it’s genuinely fun to spot — the booths, counter, and neon in the background of those films are the exact ones you’re sitting at.
Tips for Visiting (From Someone Who’s Waited in Line)
A little honesty goes a long way here, because The Arcade isn’t a five-star breakfast — it’s a historic diner, and it should be judged like one.
- Go early on weekends. Saturday and Sunday brunch gets a real line by 9:30 a.m. Weekday mornings are far calmer.
- Expect diner-speed service, not fast-food speed. Multiple visitors note service can run slow when it’s busy — factor in extra time, especially before a flight or tour.
- The Elvis booth isn’t guaranteed. It’s first-come, first-served, and it’s the most requested seat in the house. If it’s your main reason for going, arrive right at opening.
- Cash and card both work, and it’s genuinely affordable — this is a diner-priced meal, not a tourist-markup one, which is part of why locals still eat here regularly and not just visitors.
- Ask for a story. Staff will often share a piece of the restaurant’s history if you ask — it adds a lot to the visit and it’s free.
- Don’t expect perfection on every plate. Reviewers are consistent that quality can be a little uneven meal to meal — grits occasionally lukewarm, eggs occasionally overdone. Come for the atmosphere and history first, the food second, and you won’t be disappointed either way.
Building The Arcade Into a Full Tennessee Day Trip
Because The Arcade sits inside the South Main Arts District, it works well as either the start or the finish of a downtown Memphis day trip rather than a standalone stop. A realistic loop:
- Breakfast at The Arcade (7–9 a.m., before the weekend rush)
- Walk South Main Street — art galleries, the National Ornamental Metal Museum area, and the historic Central Station depot next door
- Sun Studio — a short drive or trolley ride away, where Elvis actually recorded
- Beale Street — Memphis’s music strip, best visited midday or evening
- Graceland — worth budgeting a half-day if it’s your first visit
- National Civil Rights Museum — a required stop for understanding the city’s full history
If you’re road-tripping Tennessee more broadly, pairing Memphis with Nashville is common — and it’s worth knowing Memphis’s Arcade isn’t the state’s oldest continuously operating restaurant overall. That title technically belongs to Varallo’s in Nashville, founded in 1907 — but The Arcade is unquestionably Memphis’s oldest, and arguably the more famous of the two thanks to Elvis.
Is The Arcade Memphis Worth It?
Yes, with the right expectations. Go for the history, the Elvis booth, the sweet potato pancakes, and the fact that you’re eating inside a building with a genuine 100-plus-year story and a real Hollywood résumé. Don’t go expecting white-tablecloth precision on every dish — it’s a diner, and a slightly imperfect one on a busy Sunday is part of the charm, not a flaw to avoid.
If you’re building out a Tennessee day trip around Memphis history and music, The Arcade earns its spot on the list — not as a detour, but as the natural first stop of the day.
For a full overview of what to see and do, visit our Nashville travel planning hub.
FAQ Section
Q1: What is The Arcade Memphis known for?
It’s known for being Memphis’s oldest restaurant, founded in 1919, and for the “Elvis booth” where Elvis Presley regularly sat as a young man. Its sweet potato pancakes and Greek Revival building are also major draws.
Q2: What did Elvis eat at The Arcade?
Elvis’s go-to order is widely reported to be a peanut butter and banana sandwich, still on the menu today and associated with his name.
Q3: How old is The Arcade Restaurant?
It was founded in 1919, making it 107 years old as of 2026, and it’s operated continuously by the same family across four generations.
Q4: Is The Arcade Memphis open for dinner?
Yes, but only Thursday through Saturday, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Breakfast and lunch run daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and weekend brunch runs 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Q5: Do you need a reservation at The Arcade Memphis?
Reservations aren’t required for typical visits, but calling ahead is recommended for larger groups or private events, since seating can fill up fast on weekend mornings.
Q6: Is there parking at The Arcade Restaurant?
Yes, there’s a private parking lot in the Arcade Building itself, which helps since street parking in the South Main Arts District can be tight on weekends.
Q7: What movies were filmed at The Arcade Restaurant?
Several, including Mystery Train, Great Balls of Fire, The Firm, Walk the Line, 21 Grams, Elizabethtown, and My Blueberry Nights.
Q8: Is The Arcade the oldest restaurant in Tennessee?
No — it’s Memphis’s oldest restaurant, but Varallo’s in Nashville, founded in 1907, holds the title for the whole state.
